


Fresh Air

by PeppermintTides



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, One-Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:35:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeppermintTides/pseuds/PeppermintTides
Summary: Faye gets overwhelmed by stress and self-doubt at a party and steps out to clear her head. Marie follows after to help her girlfriend cheer up.[Takes place a few months after the ending of At Sixes And Sevens.]
Relationships: Agent 3/Marie (Splatoon), Marie/Original Character (Splatoon)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Fresh Air

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheDogzLife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDogzLife/gifts).
  * Inspired by [At Sixes and Sevens](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25783066) by [TheDogzLife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDogzLife/pseuds/TheDogzLife). 



> One more gift fic to finish off the batch I've been posting recently - this one for my friend Dog, based on his series Squid Story! Dog's writing is a big part of what inspired me to start writing and sharing fics, so writing this was a blast.
> 
> This is separate from anything in the series, so the only spoiler is that Faye and Marie are dating.

Faye wasn’t stupid.

She knew when she wasn’t fitting in. It wasn’t hard to notice all the eyes on her; the quiet chattering each time she passed by a crowd of people; the awkwardness when someone got close enough to feel obligated to talk to her. She could tell that everyone was staring. Of course they were - why wouldn’t they stare at the sullen weirdo who had invaded their space?

She didn’t want to be at this party. Marie had asked her to tag along - “My manager’s making me go, and it’ll be a lot easier to put up with if you’re there with me,” she’d said - but Faye had known from the start she wouldn’t be able to fit in. Everyone here was some shade of celebrity; Inkopolis’s most famous artists filled the rooms of the massive house they were in, chatting away as if they all knew each other. They probably did, after all.

But there she was: a plain, completely unremarkable inkling whose most distinguishing trait was also the thing she was most ashamed of. There was no hiding the massive scar covering half of her face, even with the black boater hat Marie had bought to match Faye’s tuxedo. It was on clear display for everyone else to see, and because of that Faye had to deal with the one thing worse than being a total nobody - she was the total nobody that _everyone was looking at._

Faye had made a point to stick close to Marie ever since the two of them had arrived at the party an hour prior. Marie had warned her that they would both have to avoid any affection here (Inkopolis had no clue that Marie had gotten a girlfriend, and the paparazzi would no doubt be relentless if word got out), but it wasn’t like Faye had a reason to leave her side anyway. She was only here as her famous girlfriend’s plus-one, a “family friend” who Marie had brought along to help get her out of the house for a bit.

Marie had vanished, though, whisked away by a trio of lionfishes with such abruptness that Faye felt too awkward to follow after them. Now Faye was alone, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, feeling utterly and completely lost without her girlfriend there to help her navigate it all. She couldn’t even see _where_ Marie had been dragged off to, the crowds around her too dense and intimidating to easily pick her out.

The noise was too much. The people were too much. Faye’s hearts pounded in her chest as the sounds of the party began to blend into an overwhelming mush. She needed to get out of here.

It took a while to find an exit, and every moment Faye spent searching felt more unbearable than the last. When she finally found a way out she barely managed to keep her cool, quickly ducking through the glass sliding door and out onto a large balcony patio. It was silent out here, _thank the seas_ , and as soon as she felt reasonably distanced from everything she curled up into a ball on the floor, pulling her hat down over her face in hopes that the darkness would help her nerves settle.

What was she doing here? What was she doing dating _Marie Hotaru_ , one of the most famous and talented and _beautiful_ singers in the entire city? Marie could have easily chosen _anyone_ in Inkopolis to date - maybe even another celebrity so that she wouldn’t need to be as careful to hide her relationship in public - but she’d chosen Faye instead. Boring, unimportant Faye, who could barely provide anything save for _maybe_ extra warmth when they got to sleep together.

 _This is so stupid,_ she thought. _Marie does everything for you. You wouldn’t even be_ alive _if it wasn’t for her. And yet you can’t even manage a single party for her without breaking down. You can’t even run away now without going back through the house and making a huge scene._

Faye gripped the brim of her hat, inhaling deeply to try and calm down before she tore it up out of frustration. She couldn’t understand what Marie even saw in her. She might have stopped bad things from happening a couple of times, sure, but what difference did that make when she herself was barely getting by? What kind of “savior of Inkopolis” needed to rely on someone else for her well-being? Marie deserved someone who could return the care she gave to them, someone who didn’t spend all day brooding and frustrated with themself. She deserved-

"Hey.” The sound of Marie’s voice beside her snapped Faye out of her thoughts, and she looked up from her hat to see her date - well, her _acquaintance_ , as far as anyone at this party was concerned - leaning against the balcony railing. “You doing okay?”

“Mm,” Faye hummed, avoiding eye contact.

"It's not hard to read your face, you know." Marie reached over to lay a hand on Faye's shoulder, rubbing slow circles there with her thumb. Faye sighed and closed her eyes in an effort to focus on the comforting feeling. "What's wrong, Faye?"

She wished she could curl up into a ball and vanish. It was one thing to be vulnerable and open around Marie in private; Marie was one of the small handful of people she actually felt _comfortable_ showing her emotional scars to, and she knew Marie trusted her enough to share her own as well. They were in public, though, just a few yards off from a room full of beautiful, put-together people who were all laughing and having fun with other beautiful, put-together people and _ugh_ , if only Faye could just be like the rest of them-

“Faye.” Marie’s voice brought her out of her head once again, and she opened her eyes to see the concerned look on her girlfriend’s face.

“...sorry,” Faye answered meekly. “I…” Her voice wavered, and she could tell from the subtle tickling feeling on her cheeks that she’d started to cry. _Don’t do this here. Cod, come on._

She tried to inhale slowly, to pause and get a hold of herself, but the steadying breath was quickly followed by a ragged exhale that only made her feel all the more fragile. Marie frowned at the sight. _Great! Great job keeping it in. Way to make a scene at a party, Faye._

Faye tried to speak again, to offer some explanation or excuse - would Marie believe this was just a bad case of allergies? - but was stopped before she got a word out by Marie pulling her into a silent embrace. She hesitated to return the gesture, still worried that too much affection might blow their cover, but the part of her brain that always wanted to hide away from her problems had never been as strong as the part that just really, really wanted to be close to the girl she loved. She wrapped her arms around Marie and clung to her tightly, hoping that the comfort she felt in the embrace would help calm her down instead of make all of her feelings flow out even faster.

Luckily for her, it seemed to work. The two stood there for a moment in silence, Faye trying her best to tune out the noise of the party still going on just inside, the cool night air only emphasizing how cozy and warm it was to be in Marie’s arms. She could tell Marie was similarly trying to limit how much affection she showed, a hand briefly raising to stroke Faye’s mantle before lowering to just pat her back instead, but even then it was enough to bring her mood back up.

Faye sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes once she was sure they’d stopped flowing, and as she did Marie pulled back a bit to look at her. Faye felt miserable, like she’d ruined the night for both of them by letting her emotions show, but there was nothing but love and care to be found in Marie’s gentle amber eyes. “Feeling a bit better?”

Faye nodded, still just a bit sniffly. “Yeah,” she responded in a quiet voice. “I’m okay.”

Marie’s worried pout curved up into a thin smile. “Good. Why don’t we sit down and relax for a bit so you can tell me what’s on your mind?” Without waiting for a response, she turned and gently guided Faye to a patio swing sitting a short distance away. The two sat down together, Marie’s hand still resting on Faye’s shoulder.

They were quiet for another moment. Faye knew what she wanted to say, but the words struggled to leave her mouth. Marie, fortunately, was patient. There was no rushing, no tension, no demand to explain what was wrong. It was something that Faye loved about Marie, the comforting knowledge that she could take all the time she needed to work out her feelings.

Finally, Faye spoke. “I don’t belong here,” she said in a voice quieter than hers already normally was. “At this party, I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Faye sighed and held her head in her hands. “I mean that… I’m _nobody_ compared to all of these people. Everyone in there is some big, fancy celebrity with their life put together and tons of money and fans and I’m just- just… _this_.” She gestured vaguely at herself, keeping her eyes shut to try and hold back another wave of tears, but felt Marie shift to sit a bit closer to her as she went on. “I’m just a stranger with a gross scar who’s only here because I know you.”

“Faye…”

“Everyone’s been staring at me the whole time I’ve been here. It’s obvious I don’t fit in. This party is full of the most successful people in the city, and then there’s _me_. I’m not half as important as any of these people are.” Faye felt restless but couldn’t muster the energy to stand up and so settled for gently pushing off the floor to set the swing rocking, hoping that the slow sway of the bench would help.

Another short silence fell. Faye didn’t look, but it wasn’t hard to guess that Marie was trying to decide what to say. When she settled for sliding her hand into Faye’s and lacing their fingers together, Faye slumped back against the swing. With a sigh, she put her hat back onto her head and tipped it down to hide her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Mm?”

“I’m… being too hard on myself, I guess. I know I’m worth more than I think. It's just hard to feel that way compared to others."

Marie shook her head and gave Faye’s hand a firm, comforting squeeze. “It’s alright, Faye. It’s kind of my fault. These parties are hardly even something _I_ like going to, it’s not like I could have expected you to fit in perfectly when you don’t even know any of the people here.”

Faye shrugged. “I guess.”

“But,” Marie continued, “I think you’re giving everyone else too much credit. A lot of the people here aren’t nearly as cool and functional as they like to pretend.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…” Marie turned and leaned over the back of the swing to look back to the party inside and nodded toward a well-dressed flounder chatting someone up at the punch table. “You see that guy in the red tux? Award-winning singer. Can’t get a second date because he never does laundry or dishes.”

Faye raised her eyebrows but said nothing, following Marie’s gaze as she subtly pointed out various other partygoers.

“I did a duet with that guy once for a talk show appearance, and he had the _worst_ breath. And that lady over there, with the fancy dress and all the jewelry? She and her husband hate each other’s guts. They only got married for the prestige. Oh, and that girl with the purple ink-”

“I think I get your point,” Faye interjected, a tiny smile now tugging at the corners of her mouth. She wasn’t totally sure that it actually made her feel better, but some part of her felt a bit cheerier. Marie returned the smile with one of her own - that calm half-grin that Faye always loved to see - and slid back down to sit in the seat properly.

“None of the people here are perfect, it’s just their jobs to _act_ like it. The whole point of parties like this is to let everyone unwind and be dumb and flawed for a little bit without any record labels or PR managers getting mad at them.” Marie reached over to gently adjust Faye’s hat, bringing her face back into view. “And you learn a lot by being the quiet one at all these big gatherings. Being a bit awkward and having a scar definitely doesn’t make you the weirdest person here by any means, trust me.”

 _I dunno, I think having a massive burn scar from the time I got brainwashed and nearly killed someone is_ a little _weird,_ Faye thought. “I guess… I guess I just have a hard time seeing what makes me worth your time. At least all of these people can _pretend_ to be perfect.”

“I don’t _want_ someone who’s perfect, Faye,” Marie said, idly linking their arms together. “I want someone who cares about me, who cares about the _world_. I want someone who would give her all to keep other people safe.” Marie scooted closer and leaned against Faye slightly, looking up at her with gentle eyes. “I want the girl who understands what I’ve been through and is always there for me, no matter what happens.”

Faye blushed faintly, unable to keep down the smile that spread across her face. She leaned down almost instinctively but stopped, a small part of her kicking in to remind her where they were. She glanced toward the balcony door to the party beyond and silently prayed nobody was watching them.

Marie must have noticed, because she brought a hand up to gently hold Faye’s cheek, pulling her attention back. “Nobody’s looking,” she said softly. “The patio lights aren’t on anyway, it’s too dark out here for anyone to see.”

“Are you sure?” Faye asked, caring more for Marie’s sake than her own.

Marie just shrugged. “Maybe.” Without another word she leaned up to bridge the distance between them, planting a soft kiss on Faye’s lips. Faye returned it and pulled Marie closer, arms wrapped loosely around her waist. The two cuddled up together, mostly hidden from view by the tall back of the swing but at least partly not caring if they were seen. The night was cool and quiet, and laying back with Marie’s warmth against her side was the most comfortable Faye had been all night.

“I love you,” Faye murmured.

“I love you too,” Marie purred as she nuzzled against Faye’s shoulder. “Mm… I think I’ve been here long enough to make my manager happy. How about we leave the party early, head back home, and find a movie to watch?”

“Sounds good to me.” Faye left one more quick kiss on the top of Marie’s head. “Maybe we can stay here just a bit longer, though.” She didn’t exactly want people to realize she’d just been crying, and she was in no rush to move anyway.

Marie didn’t question why, just smiled and nodded. “As long as you’d like.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading!
> 
> For off-site story notifications and other relevant updates, you can find me at @PeppermintTides on Twitter. I'm going to be changing how I post and manage the fics I write soon; information will be shared there when I do.


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